Scaffolding coupling



March 1961 P. SPREEUWENBERG 2,974,985

SCAF'FOLDING COUPLING Fild Jan. 15, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F|G.1 FIG-2INVENTOR p/cTeR Spree uwen be. r9

Y ATTORNEYS March 14, 19 1 P. SPREEUWENBERG 2,974,985

SCAFF'OLDING COUPLING 2 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Jan. 15, 1960 v, INVENTORpfc e/Q g eeuwenber a a m m ATTORNEYS United States 2,974,985 SCAFFOLDING COUPLING Pieter Spreeuwenberg, Achterweg 80,Hoogvliet-Rotterdam, Netherlands Filed Jan. 15, 1960, Ser. No. 2,641Claims priority, application Netherlands Jan. 19,1959 Claims. (Cl.287-54) This is achieved by the scaffolding coupling according to theinvention in that each engaging surface for a building element isprovided in a separate part of which the one part comprises an openingfor receiving an eye of the other part which is hook-shaped, there beingprovided in said eye the eccentrical portion of an eccentric memberrotatably mounted in bearings of the first part. On account of the factthat an eccentric member is applied this scafiolding coupling may belocked on both tubes with one single rotary movement of a key.

In order to prevent the eccentric member from unintentionally gettingout of the scaffolding coupling the eccentrical portion of the eccentricmember may, according to the invention, comprise a recess andthecross-section of said eccentrical portion near said recess maycorrespond to the cross-section of thebearing in the connecting portion.In this way the advantage is obtainedthat no additional part is requiredfor locking the eccentric member.

According to the invention there may be provided in the shaft portion ofthe eccentric member, said pin serving as an abutment for limitingrotary movement of the eccentric member. This abutment may also serve asan indication showing the position of the eccentric member.

The hook-shaped portion of the second part of the scaffolding couplingmay be provided with a cam cooperating with the connecting portion ofthe arm.

jThe second bearing for the shaft portion of the eccentric member, whichbearing is provided in the form of an opening, is preferably ofelliptical shape. V In order to be able to arrange the eye sufficientlybut with a minimum of play in the opening of the first part and to allowthe hook-shaped part nevertheless to rotate sufficiently fan-thecross-section of the arm facing the hook-shaped portion may bewedge-shaped.

The invention will be described below with reference to the accompanyingdrawings showing by way of example an embodiment of the scaffoldingcoupling according to the invention.

Figures 1 and 2 diagrammatically show the locking of the eccentricmember. 1

Fig. 3 shows in perspective the scalfolding coupling in its operativeposition. t

Fig. 4 is a' drawing showing the assembling, the eccentric member beingsomewhat turned for claritys sake.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section according to the line VV in Fig. 4.

The scaffolding coupling shown in the drawings comprises a body 1 whichin Fig. 3 is clamped on a horizonentO . vl-"atentetl Mai". .14, 1 9 61 7'2 tal tube 2 of a scaffolding structure. For this purpose said body 1has a curved portion 3 forming an engaging surface for the tube 2 andbeing located on the upper portion of this tube. Thefront end 4 of thiscurved portion is chamfered. By this chamfering one avoids the risk ofthe body 1 being struck off the tube by unintentional impacts or blowsagainst the front rim of said body. The

body 1 comprises two arms 5 and6 so interconnected by a connectingportion 7 that the parts 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 constitute one unit, forexample one casting. a

In the body l there are provided an opening 8 and a bearing 9 for aneccentric member 10. This opening 8 is of elliptical shape. Thelongitudinal axis of the ellipse is inclined relative to the horizontalplane. The eccentrical portion 12 of the eccentric member is engaged byan eye 13 of a curved hook which, as is apparent from Fig.

.3, forms an engaging surface for the second horizontal tube 15 and isadapted to engage part of this tube 15. The tube 15 crosses the tube 2at right angles and the tube 2 is supported by this tube 15. Thedimensions of the hook 14 are so selected that its end' extends somewhatbeyond the vertical plane passing through the centre line of tube 15.The end ofthis hook is likewise chamfered in order to obtain thesmallest possible surface of application for unintentional impacts orblows against said end.

As will be explained below with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 the bearing 9and the eccentrical portion 12 are so constructed that in assembledcondition the eccentric member cannot be removed from the scaffoldingcoupling before a pin 16 is removed from the shaft portion 17 and thiseccentric member is rotated into a certain position. The pin 16 alsoserves as an abutment and indicator means showing whether the eccentricmember has been brought to its final position. This is done by means ofa key engaging the part-18. v

When such a coupling has to be provided in a scaffolding structure thecurved portion 3 is slid on the tube 2, which tube rests on the tube 15,so that the book 14, which is in its lowest position, engages the tube15. Thereafter the eccentric member is rotated and as a result thescaffolding coupling is firmly clamped on the tubes lying one againstthe other. The lower end of the connecting portion 7 is supported by thetube 15.

In order to prevent the eccentric member from dropping out of the eye 13the bearing 9 in the connecting portion 7 is so embodied that theeccentrical portion 12 of the eccentric member is locked by thisconnecting portion. The shape which this bearing must have deviates, asmay be seen from Figs. 1 and'2, from an arc of a circle. In Figures 1and 2 reference numeral 19 denotes the centre line of the rotation shaftof the eccentric memher and reference numeral 20 the centre line of theeccentrical portion 12. When the eccentric member is rotated around thecentre line 19 of the rotation shaft 11-17,

a portion of the eccentrical portion 12 of the eccentric member inrotating over an angle between the two positions of abutment of the pin16 against the connecting portion 7 will always be situated at a levelbelow the upper surface of said connecting portion '7 so that theeccentric member cannot be removed.' In order to make it possible tointroduce the eccentric member into the eye 13 the eccentrical portion12 has a recess 21 which, as appears from Fig. 2, is so shaped that theportion in question of said eccentrical. portion has a cross-sectioncorresponding to the bearing 9. When the eccentrical portion 12 has beenrotated into the position according to the eccentric member is loweredin oblique direction so that the shaft portion 11 is supported by thelower portion of the hole 8 and the shaft portion 17 is supported in thebearing 9. Thereafter the pin 16 may be mounted. In order to have thepin 16 also serve as indicator means for the position of the eccentricmember there is provided in the eccentric member a hole for this pin inwhich the pin 16 is so inserted that in the clamping position of thescaffolding coupling said pin assumes the position shown in Fig, 3 andabuts against the connecting portion 7 and in the uncoupled position ofthe coupling said pin points in the opposite direction and abutslikewise against the connecting portion 7.

If the hook would have the same overall width as the axial length of theeye 13 it would still be possible to move said hook so far upwards thatthe eccentric member could still be removed from the eye 13. In order toprevent this said hook comprises a cam 22 facing the connecting portion7 so that when mounting the scaffolding coupling the eye 13 must beinserted from below into the body 1. In order to ensure that the hookhas not too much play in the body 1, which might cause the eccentricmember to assume a position in which it could be removed from the eye13, the arm 6 has a wedge-shaped crosssection as shown in Fig. 5.

It is obvious that the invention is not restricted to the embodimentdescribed above with reference to the drawings but that it may be variedin many ways without departing from the scope of the invention. Forexample the locking of the eccentric member may also be effected in someother manner. The part 22 for example may also consist of a pin or someother projection adapted to be fixed in the hook 14.

I claim:

1. A scaffolding coupling comprising a first and a secnd part eachhaving a surface for engaging a portion of the outer surface of atubular building element forming an angle with one another, the firstpart having an opening for receiving an eye of the second part saidsecond part being hook-shaped, the eccentrical portion of an eccentricmember being arranged in said eye, said eccentric member being rotatablymounted with shaft portions in bearings of the first part.

2. A scaffolding coupling according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe eccentrical portion of the eccentric member comprises a recess, thecross-section of said eccentrical portion near said recess correspondingto the cross-section of the bearing in the Wall of the opening remotefrom the engaging surface of the first part of the coupling.

3. A scaffolding coupling according to claim 1, characterized in that apin is provided in one of the shaft portions of the eccentric member,said pin serving as an abutment for limiting rotary movement of theeccentric member.

4. A scaffolding member according to claim 1, characterized in that theeccentrical portion of the eccentric member comprises a recess, thecross-section of said eccentrical portion near said recess correspondingto the cross-section of the bearing in the wall of the opening remotefrom the engaging surface of the first part of the coupling, a pin beingprovided in one of the shaft portions of the eccentric member, said pinserving as an abutment for limiting rotary movement of the eccentricmember.

5. A scaffolding coupling according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe eccentrical portion of the eccentric member comprises a recess, thecross-section of said eccentrical portion near said recess corresponding,to the cross-section of the bearing in the wall of the opening remotefrom the engaging surface of the first part of the coupling thehook-shaped portion of the second part being provided with a camco-operating with the wall of the opening in the first part lying remotefrom its engaging surface.

6. A scaffolding member according to claim 1, characterized in that thesecond bearing in the first part for one of the shaft portions of theeccentric member consists of a substantially elliptical opening.

7. A scaffolding coupling according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe eccentrical portion of the eccentric member comprises a recess, thecross-section of said eccentrical portion near said recess correspondingto the cross-section of the bearing in the wall of the opening remotefrom the engaging surface of the first part of the coupling the secondbearing in the fi'rst part for one of the shaft portions of theeccentric member consists of a substantially elliptical opening.

8. A scaffolding coupling according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe eccentrical portion of the eccentric member comprises a recess, thecross-section of said eccentrical portion near said recess correspondingto the cross-section of the bearing in the wall of the opening remotefrom the engaging surface of the first part of the coupling thehook-shaped portion of the second part being provided with a camco-operating with the wall of the opening in the first part lying remotefrom its engaging surface, the second bearing for one of the shaftportions of the eccentric member consisting of a substantiallyelliptical opening, a pin being provided in one of the shaft portions ofthe eccentric member, said pin serving as an abutment for limiting therotary movement of the eccentric member.

9. A scaffolding coupling according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe eccentrical portion of the eccentric member comprises a recess, thecross-section of said cc centrical portion near said recesscorresponding to the cross-section of the bearing in the wall of theopening remote from the engaging surface of the first part of thecoupling the second bearing in the first part for one of the shaftportions of the eccentric member consists of a substantially ellipticalopening, the walls of the opening in the first part which are providedwith bearings being connected by arms, one of said arms facing thehook-shaped part being wedge-shaped.

10. A scaffolding coupling according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe eccentrical portion of the eccentric member comprises a recess, thecross-section of said eccentrical portion near said recess correspondingto the cross-section of the bearing in the wall of the opening remotefrom the engaging surface of the first part of the coupling thehook-shaped portion of the second part being provided with a camco-operating with the wall of the opening in the first part lying remotefrom its engaging surface, the second bearing for one of the shaftportions of the eccentric member consisting of a substantiallyelliptical opening, a pin being provided in one of the shaft portions ofthe eccentric member, said pin serving as an abutment for limiting therotary movement of the eccentric member, the walls of the opening in thefirst part which are provided with bearings being connected by arms, oneof said arms facing the hook-shaped part being wedge-shaped.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS369,143 White Aug. 30, 1887 633,333 Beall Sept. 19, 1899 947,811 GliddenFeb. 1, 1910

